Device for holding traps



F. BYRNE.

DEVICE FOR HOLDING TRAPS.

APPLICATION men APRJZ, 1920.

Patented Mar- 21,1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- li/ 611172 I" JCT/111013 J23 F. I. BYRNE.

DEVlCE FOR- HOLDING TRAPS.

APPLICATION FILED APR 1-2, 1920.

1,409,924. Patented Mar. 21, 1922.

2 SHEETSS HEET 2.

UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.'

DEVICE FOR HOLDING TRAIS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patentd Ma 21 1922.

Application filed April 12, 1920. Serial No. 373,259.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS J .YBYRNE, a citizen of the United States residing at Cannon Township, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Devices for Holding Traps, of which the following is a specification,

The present invention relates to devices for holding traps, such as are commonly known as steel traps; and its general ob-' ject is to provide means for securely holding a trap to an anchorage and in such position as to be readily operated; a more particular object is to provide such a holder having springable members adapted to releasably hold the trap and also having springable members adapted to releasably secure the holder to its anchorage; a further object being to provide specific means for very effectively attaining such ends. 1

These and any other objects hereinafter appearing are attained by, and the inven tion finds preferable embodiment in, the structure hereinafter particularly described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which:

igure 1 is a view of a trap secured by my holder to an anchoring rod and positioned in water under its ice covering;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of an open trap (the upper leaf of its operating spring being broken away) and of the holder, )arts of which are broken away;

Figure 3 is a side view of said trap and holder, parts of the holder being broken away;

Figure at is a bottom plan View of the same, parts of the trap and holder being broken away;

Figure 5 is a side view of the closed trap and of theholder. parts of the holder being broken away; I Figure (5 is a side view of the members of the holder whereby the same is secured to its anchorage, illustrating said members in their securing position;

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the same, the anchorage being sectioned on line 7-7 of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a side viewof said members illustrating the same in position to be secured to the anchorage;

Figure 9 1s a top plan vlew of the same,

the anchorage being-sectioned on line 9-9 of Figure 8; i

Figure 10 is a front view of said members in the process of being secured to the anchorage, these members being sectioned .on a plane corresponding to line 1O-1O of Figure 11; and

Figure 11 is a top plan view of the same. In the embodiment of the invention chosen for illustration by the drawings and for detailed description in the body of this specification, the trap designated generally by 1, of the type commonly called a steel'trap having the jaws2, 2, body portion 3 and trigger 4:, is held by my trap holder, designated generally by 5, which is secured to a suitable anchorage, as the rod 6, which inv Figure 1 is shown driven into the ground 7 at the bottom of a stream or pond, which in said figure is covered with ice 8, a hole 9 being cut therethrough to admit the rod, the trap and the trap holder. These parts are desirably placed in paths frequented by the animals to be trapped. chain 10 to the rod 6 or other suitable fixed object. The trap is provided with the usual operating spring 11 compressed when the trap is set, as shown in Figure 3, so that the springs upper and lower-leaves 12, 13 are somewhat bowed, as shown in said figure: but when the trap is sprung these leaves straighten as shown in Figure 5.

In the construction illustrated, my trap holder is formed from a single piece of heavy spring wire and has members 14,15 holdingly engaging between them the opposite edges of the lower leaf 13 of the traps operating spring, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4, said spring being compressed and its leaves bowed by the setting of the trap. These members 14, 15 are sprung apart by the straightening of the leaf 13. of the more powerful trap operating spring 11, when The trap is securedas by." its said trap spring is released by the springhave respectively end portions 21, 22 adja- 531d members from the position shown in Figures 10 and 11 and into the position shown in Figures 6 and 7 the rod in thus moving pressing the portions 23, 24: apart to insert itself sidewise between them. When the rod is thus moved laterally into the secured positionseen in Figures 6 and q Litis held'between said portions 23, 24: in

their concaved inner sides 25, 26. hen it is desired to disenga e the trap holder from the anchoring rod, his process is reversed.

The inventlonbeing intended to be pointed out in the claims, is not to be limited to or by details ofconstruction of the particular embodiment thereof illustrated by the drawings or hereinbetore described.

I claim: I 1. In aholder for atrap of the character described; spring members adapted to releasablyhold the traps operating spring and pressing against the opposite sides of said spring'and against the opposite edges thereof adjacent itssa'id sides and at points on 'means for anchoring the holder.

said edges directly opposite each other; and 7 the traps operating spring in its bowed set position and to be released therefrom by said springs straightening movement from its said position, said spring members in their holding engagementwith said spring pressing against the opposite sides thereof and against the opposite edges thereof adjacent its said sides.

In a holder for a trap of the character described; spring members having con necting bight portions and bein adapted to releasably engage holdingly tie opposite edges of the traps operating spring one of said bight portions being adapted to'engage a'lug carried by the body 01' the trap and ,4. In a holder for a trap of the character described; means for securing the trap to the holder; a pair of spring members hav ing respective end portions adapted to releasably engage an anchoring rod holdingly and intermediate portions continuing from said end portions respectively and crossing each other and adapted to releasably engage said rod lioldingly on its sides opposite to its sides respectively engaged by said end portions.

In" testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Grand Rapids, Michigan, this 2nd day of April, 1920. p

. I :FRANCIS J. BYRNE. 

